Snow lines the banks around a flowinf waterfall in Scotsville, NS.
WASHINGTON — A conference dedicated to the future of the conservative movement turned into an ode to Donald Trump as speakers declared their fealty to the former president and attendees posed for selfies with a golden statue of his likeness. As the Republican Party grapples with deep divisions over the extent to which it should embrace Trump after losing the White House and both chambers of Congress, those gathered at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday made clear they are not ready to move on from the former president — or from his baseless charges that the November election was rigged against him. “Donald J. Trump ain’t going anywhere,” said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, one of several potential 2024 presidential contenders who spoke at the event, being held this year in Orlando to bypass COVID-19 restrictions. Trump on Sunday will be making his first post-presidential appearance at the conference, and aides say he will use the speech to reassert his power. The program underscored the split raging within the GOP, as many establishment voices argue the party must move on from Trump to win back the suburban voters who abandoned them in November, putting President Joe Biden in the White House. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and others worry Trump will undermine the party’s political future if he and his conspiracy theories continue to dominate Republican politics. But at the conference, speakers continued to fan disinformation and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, with panels dedicated to amplifying false claims of mass voter fraud that have been dismissed by the courts, state election officials and Trump’s own administration. Indeed, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., another potential 2024 hopeful, drew among the loudest applause and a standing ovation when he bragged about challenging the election certification on Jan. 6 despite the storming of the Capitol building by Trump supporters trying to halt the process. “I thought it was an important stand to take," he said. Others argued the party would lose if it turned its back on Trump and alienated the working-class voters drawn to his populist message. “We cannot — we will not — go back to the days of the failed Republican establishment of yesteryear,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who outlined a new Trumpian GOP agenda focused on restrictive immigration policies, opposition to China and limiting military engagement. “We will not win the future by trying to go back to where the Republican Party used to be,” echoed Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who chairs the fundraising committee tasked with electing Republicans to the Senate. “If we do, we will lose the working base that President Trump so animated. We’re going to lose elections across the country, and ultimately we’re going to lose our nation." Scott is dismissing pressure on him to “mediate between warring factions on the right” or “mediate the war of words between the party leaders." He has refused to take sides in the bitter ongoing fight between Trump and McConnell, who blamed Trump for inciting the deadly Capitol riot but ultimately voted to acquit him at his impeachment trial earlier this month. “I’m not going to mediate anything," he said, criticizing those who “prefer to fan the flames of a civil war on our side” as “foolish” and “ridiculous." But in speeches throughout the day, the GOP turmoil was front and centre. Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., lit into Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, who has faced tremendous backlash for her vote to impeach Trump for inciting the Capitol riot. And as the program was wrapping up, Trump issued a statement endorsing Max Miller, a former staffer who has now launched a campaign challenging Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, another Republican who voted in favour of impeachment. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News Channel host and Trump Jr.'s girlfriend, offered a pointed message to those who stand in opposition to the former president, who will not arrive at the conference until Sunday but was present in spirit in the form of a large golden statue erected in a merchandise show booth, where attendees could pose for pictures with it. “We bid a farewell to the weak-kneed, the spineless and the cowards that are posing in D.C. pretending that they’re working for the people,” she said. “Let’s send them a pink slip straight from CPAC.” Trump Jr., who labeled the conference “TPAC” in honour of his father, hyped the return of his father and the “Make America Great Again” platform to the spotlight. “I imagine it will not be what we call a ‘low-energy’ speech," he said. “And I assure you that it will solidify Donald Trump and all of your feelings about the MAGA movement as the future of the Republican Party.” Jill Colvin, The Associated Press
Milan — La tension monte entre les secteurs du bois et du sirop d’érable. À qui et comment la société québécoise doit-elle prêter sa forêt ? Pour le président de l’Ordre des ingénieurs forestiers du Québec, François Laliberté, la discussion récemment enclenchée s’impose. « Les deux sont des activités importantes de notre patrimoine forestier collectif et les deux ont un fort potentiel de développement, analyse-t-il. Dans les deux cas, on en voudrait plus. Mais la forêt est limitée. On est condamnés à faire des compromis de part et d’autre, parce qu’on veut quand même une diversité d’activités. Il faut également comprendre que ces deux activités-là ne sont pas totalement incompatibles, mais l’une a un impact sur l’autre. » Par exemple, le bois provenant d’un érable entaillé perd de la valeur. « À l’inverse, lorsqu’on fait de la récolte de bois, même des coupes partielles, momentanément, on perd un certain nombre d’entailles », dit-il, précisant que surtout les arbres en fin de vie sont ciblés par les ingénieurs forestiers. Actuellement, 18 % des érablières du Québec se retrouvent en terre publiques. Inquiets de voir le potentiel acéricole exclu de la nouvelle Statégie nationale de production de bois, dévoilée en décembre par le ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP) et qui vise à doubler les coupes forestières d’ici 2080, les Producteurs et productrices acéricoles du Québec (PPAQ) réclament une mise en suspens des chantiers en terre publique tant qu’ils ne seront pas rassurés. En réponse à cette fameuse stratégie, les PPAQ ont d’ailleurs publié leur propre plan pour l’avenir, qui implique168 M d’entailles en 2080 afin de répondre à la demande croissante de sirop d’érable sur le marché mondial. Ce sont donc 120 M d’entailles qui devront être ajoutées, dont 36 M en terres publiques. « Une bonne partie des grandes érablières sont situées sur des terres publiques, et elles doivent pouvoir grandir, explique Philippe Breton, directeur des ventes chez Érablière Lapierre et administrateur pour l’International Maple Syrup Institute. Ce qui se fait actuellement par le Ministère, c’est de l’aménagement qui est à très, très long terme, alors qu’on pourrait exploiter la forêt publique à court terme en acériculture beaucoup plus facilement et de manière plus rentable. Quand le Ministère fait un plan de doubler la production de bois d’ici 2080, bien nous, ce qu’on voit, c’est doubler le nombre d’érables à entailler potentiellement qui seront coupés. » Couper, c’est régénérer M. Laliberté ne peut pas se prononcer sur la compatibilité des ambitions de chaque côté, mais souligne que l’objectif de production de bois ne sera atteint que si on double la productivité des forêts québécoises. « Dans les érablières, c’est de faire des bons travaux de jardinage qui vont favoriser la régénération et la croissance de façon optimale. On peut comprendre que d’ici 2080, on a le temps de faire une ou deux rotations de cycle de jardinage, et le potentiel sera quand même bon à la fin. Il ne faudrait peut-être pas non plus se priver d’aller chercher une ou deux rotations de bois en attendant qu’elles soient entaillées. Mais il faut savoir quand ça risque d’être entaillé. Ça prend un plan des deux côtés. La stratégie vient de sortir et les plans ne sont pas terminés, mais c’est le bon moment pour se poser la question avec les érablières », avance-t-il, rappelant que le gouvernement décide des coupes, tandis que les PPAQ décident des entailles. Cependant, l’ingénieur admet que les coupes de jardinage acérico-forestier, qui privent les érablières d’entailles à court terme, pourraient être revues. « Ça coûte cher de faire une intervention comme ça dans une érablière. Est-ce qu’on pourrait travailler ça autrement ? La réflexion pourrait se faire. Il faudrait réviser certaines choses, comme les engagements ou les attributions de bois. Ça fait partie des compromis. » De son côté, le MFFP assure que le dialogue se poursuit avec les PPAQ et que « la Stratégie nationale de production de bois n’est pas en contradiction avec le développement de l’acériculture ». Son porte-parole, Sylvain Carrier, ajoute que le Ministère consulte actuellement les TGIRT sur des zones où les activités acéricoles seraient priorisées. « À la suite de cette étape de consultation, le MFFP officialisera des superficies de potentiels acéricoles à prioriser dans l’ensemble des régions où les PPAQ émettront de nouveaux contingents de production acéricole dans les années à venir. » L’Estrie a du mal à s’entendre La coordinatrice de la Table de gestion intégrée des ressources naturelles et du territoire de l’Estrie, Manon Ayotte, se montre inquiète pour la concertation du milieu depuis le début des querelles entourant l’acériculture et la foresterie. Les dernières réunions de la table on fait l’objet d’attaques personnelles et de propos disgracieux, à un point où certains membres ont choisi de ne pas y assister, rapporte-t-elle. « Ça fragilise vraiment l’esprit de collaboration. On a déjà vu des belles choses et des revirements de situations qui ont fait qu’on a trouvé des solutions, mais là, je suis inquiète », dit-elle. Actuellement, le potentiel acéricole en terres publiques estriennes est d’environ 11 800 hectares. On y retrouve 74 permis acéricoles, détenus par 57 personnes ou entreprises. « Pour l’instant, ce qui a été proposé, c’est un partage 50-50. La moitié de la superficie est vouée au développement acéricole, et la moitié voué à l’aménagement forestier. C’est possible que pour les acériculteurs, ce ne soit pas assez, comme pour ceux qui utilisent la ressource du bois qui ont aussi ce sentiment-là. » Jasmine Rondeau, Initiative de journalisme local, La Tribune
A military guard of honor and Royal Air Force fly-past marked the funeral on Saturday of Captain Sir Tom Moore, the World War Two veteran who raised millions of pounds for Britain's health service during the coronavirus pandemic. By the time he finished, on April 16, he was being willed on by millions in Britain and beyond, and the total raised was heading toward 39 million pounds ($54 million). Moore was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in recognition of his efforts, while the White House said after his death that he had "inspired millions through his life and his actions".
(Ben Nelms/CBC - image credit) From their smiles and exuberance, it's hard to tell that 16-year-old students Makylah Williams and Liv Meerkerk have experienced racial microaggressions in the halls of their B.C. high schools. In Makylah's case, those experiences have involved people touching her hair without her permission, something she says is "really disrespectful." For Liv, a high academic achiever from the Sto:lo Nation, it's the assumptions people make about the intelligence of Indigenous students. She recalls how "it was really shocking and surprising to everyone" when they found out her grades. These are just two examples of stories shared by BIPOC students at a recent youth conference held by the Burnaby School District, where youth were encouraged to share their experiences in discussions about racism, and had the opportunity to hear from special guests. 'It makes them tired, it makes them frustrated, it makes them sad, depressed, hurt,' says Beth Applewhite about students dealing with racism on a regular basis. The annual conference helps show attendees they are not alone in their daily experience with racism, says founder Beth Applewhite. "They talked about dealing with the N-word — that came up a lot. They talked about how Indigenous students and Black students, racialized students, often have less power. People seem to have lower expectations for them academically," says Applewhite, vice-principal of equity, diversity and inclusion with the Burnaby School District. "A lot of students talked about how racism has impacted them, like their mental health, that it makes them tired, it makes them frustrated, it makes them sad, depressed, hurt." But from those shared experiences also comes solidarity, she says. "The students expressed a sense of belonging, the sense of seeing themselves in each other and in the room," says Applewhite. Watch: Youth conference participants speak about their experiences The youth conference, which began as a Black Affinity Group at Burnaby's Moscrop Secondary School in 2007, is held during Black History Month, with the theme this year being "lifting Black voices." The conference usually brings in a few hundred students from the Burnaby, Surrey, Vancouver, Maple Ridge and Coquitlam school districts — but this year around 3,000 people, from students to staff, took part virtually. The opening address was made by Jean Augustine, a former Member of Parliament who brought forward the legislation for Black History Month to be officially recognized in Canada 25 years ago. It comes amid increasing awareness of systemic racism and a growing Black Lives Matter movement following anti-racism protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May 2020. Makylah Williams says she was surprised to hear the similarities in experiences BIPOC students shared during the youth conference. For Makylah, the Black Lives Matter movement has actually made her a target of some inappropriate jokes. "I've had students come to me, putting up the block fist and laughing," she said. "I try really hard not to get angry, even though it is frustrating. I try to calm down and be mindful that sometimes people just don't know that they're being mean." 'You see you're not alone, everybody is going through stuff like that, and it shows you that we need to change it.' - Liv Meerkerk, 16 Despite the daily challenges they face, both Makylah and Liv carry an infectious amount of hope for their futures. "In the conference, you see you're not alone, everybody is going through stuff like that, and it shows you that we need to change it. It's a huge problem that needs to be tackled," Liv says. Liv Meerkerk says she felt validated in hearing the experiences of other students. Part of Applewhite's role with the school district is to lead anti-racism education for staff, trustees and educators. While the response to the training has generally been positive, she says some discussions about race and white privilege have been triggering. But she says she keeps in mind that children are going through similar experiences at school. "No one warns our kids when they walk into a classroom… and I know our children's spirits are being ruined daily. We need to keep pushing forward," she says. It's why she keeps doing the work, she says. "I used to hide my anger, get frustrated, but you can't fix something you can't see," Applewhite says. "But when people are forced to look and see how things are, they are much more compassionate and empathetic." For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here. Makylah Williams, left, and Liv Meerkerk, both 16, shared their stories at the youth conference for Black History Month.
India's conglomerate Reliance Industries has partnered with Facebook Inc, Google and fintech player Infibeam to set up a national digital payment network, Economic Times newspaper reported on Saturday, citing unnamed sources. Last year, India's central bank invited companies to forge new umbrella entities (NUEs) to create a payments network that would rival the system operated by the National Payments Council of India (NPCI), as it seeks to reduce concentration risks in the space.
The “Trump-made-me-do-it” defence is already looking like a longshot. Facing damning evidence in the deadly Capitol siege last month — including social media posts flaunting their actions — rioters are arguing in court they were following then-President Donald Trump's instructions on Jan. 6. But the legal strategy has already been shot down by at least one judge and experts believe the argument is not likely to get anyone off the hook for the insurrection where five people died, including a police officer. “This purported defence, if recognized, would undermine the rule of law because then, just like a king or a dictator, the president could dictate what’s illegal and what isn’t in this country," U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said recently in ordering pretrial detention of William Chrestman, a suspected member of the Kansas City-area chapter of the Proud Boys. “And that is not how we operate here.” Chrestman’s attorneys argued in court papers that Trump gave the mob “explicit permission and encouragement” to do what they did, providing those who obeyed him with “a viable defence against criminal liability.” “It is an astounding thing to imagine storming the United States Capitol with sticks and flags and bear spray, arrayed against armed and highly trained law enforcement. Only someone who thought they had an official endorsement would even attempt such a thing. And a Proud Boy who had been paying attention would very much believe he did,” Chrestman’s lawyers wrote. Trump was acquitted of inciting the insurrection during his second impeachment trial, where Democrats made some of the same arguments defence attorneys are making in criminal court. Some Republican lawmakers have said the better place for the accusations against Trump is in court, too. Meanwhile, prosecutors have brought charges against more than 250 people so far in the attack, including conspiracy, assault, civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. Authorities have suggested that rare sedition charges could be coming against some. Hundreds of Trump supporters were photographed and videotaped storming the Capitol and scores posted selfies inside the building on social media, so they can’t exactly argue in court they weren’t there. Blaming Trump may be the best defence they have. “What’s the better argument when you’re on videotape prancing around the Capitol with a coat rack in your hand?” said Sam Shamansky, who’s representing Dustin Thompson, an Ohio man accused of stealing a coat rack during the riot. Shamansky said his client would never have been at the Capitol on Jan. 6 if Trump hadn’t “summoned him there.” Trump, he added, engaged in a “devious yet effective plot to brainwash” supporters into believing the election was stolen, putting them in the position where they “felt the the need to defend their country at the request of the commander in chief.” “I think it fits perfectly,” he said of the defence. “The more nuanced question is: Who is going to buy it? What kind of jury panel do you need to understand that?” While experts say blaming Trump may not get their clients off the hook, it may help at sentencing when they ask the judge for leniency. “It could likely be considered a mitigating factor that this person genuinely believed they were simply following the instructions of the leader of the United States,” said Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney in Michigan who's now a professor at the University of Michigan Law School. It could also bolster any potential cases against the former president, experts say. “That defence is dead on arrival,” said Bradley Simon, a New York City white-collar criminal defence attorney and former federal prosecutor. “But I do think that these statements by defendants saying that they were led on by Trump causes a problem for him if the Justice Department or the attorney general in D.C. were to start looking at charges against him for incitement of the insurrection.” While the legal bar is high for prosecuting Trump in the Capitol siege, the former president is already facing a lawsuit from Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson that accuses him of conspiring with extremist groups to prevent Congress from certifying the election results. And more lawsuits could come. Trump spread baseless claims about the election for weeks and addressed thousands of supporters at a rally near the White House before the Capitol riot, telling them that they had gathered in Washington "to save our democracy." Later, Trump said, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.” A lawyer for Jacob Chansley, the shirtless man who wore face paint and a hat with horns inside the Capitol, attached a highlighted transcript of the Trump's speech before the riot to a court filing seeking Chansley's release from custody. The defence lawyer, Albert Watkins, said the federal government is sending a “disturbingly chilling message” that Americans will be prosecuted “if they do that which the President asks them to do.” Defence lawyers have employed other strategies without better success. In one case, the judge called a defence attorney’s portrayal of the riots as mere trespassing or civil disobedience both “unpersuasive and detached from reality.” In another, a judge rejected a man’s claim that he was “duped” into joining the anti-government Oath Keepers group and participating in the attack on the Capitol. Other defendants linked to militant groups also have tried to shift blame to Trump in seeking their pretrial release from jail. An attorney for Jessica Watkins said the Oath Keepers member believed local militias would be called into action if Trump invoked the Insurrection Act to stay in office. Watkins disavowed the Oath Keepers during a court hearing on Friday, saying she has been “appalled” by fellow members of the far-right militia. “However misguided, her intentions were not in any way related to an intention to overthrow the government, but to support what she believed to be the lawful government,” her lawyer wrote. Meanwhile, a lawyer for Dominic Pezzola, another suspected Proud Boy, said he “acted out of the delusional belief that he was a ‘patriot’ protecting his country." Defence attorney Jonathan Zucker described Pezzola as “one of millions of Americans who were misled by the President's deception.” “Many of those who heeded his call will be spending substantial portions if not the remainder of their lives in prison as a consequence," he wrote. “Meanwhile Donald Trump resumes his life of luxury and privilege." Michael Kunzelman And Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press
(Submitted by David Voelker - image credit) Forty-three years ago, Dave Voelker spent two days walking 48 kilometres across a frozen Lake Erie. On Feb. 25, 1978, Voelker left Cleveland, Ohio by himself and was set on reaching Colchester, Ont. in the next 48 hours. On his back he carried all that he would need, including a tent, walkie talkie, and a tripod with a camera. "I knew it was frozen across I had to give it a shot, I'm a bit of an adventure junkie," Voelker told CBC Radio's Afternoon Drive host Chris dela Torre. He said the temperature that year had been below freezing for at least a month and to be certain the water was frozen through, he checked in with the coast guard. A frozen Lake Erie as photographed by Voelker. When he first started crossing he said he saw some ice fishers, but there eventually came a point of "absolutely nothing at all." LISTEN: Dave Voelker talks about what the journey across was like with host Chris dela Torre "I was in my element," he said. "I'm a bit of a loner to begin with and being in the middle of a frozen Great Lake is the ultimate alone time, you're just left alone on your thoughts and I just reflected on what I was doing." He said he wasn't really scared, but the adventure didn't come without its challenges. At one point he could tell an ice breaker had gone through the lake and it caused the ice to bunch up in odd places. He also had to check a compass to make sure he was headed in the right direction. Eventually he made it to the other side and said a family witnessed his arrival. They then invited him in for dinner. Voelker pitched up a tent one day into his hike across the lake. Upon arriving in Colchester, he said he was relieved because he was so tired. Afterwards he says he ended up hitchhiking back home and passed through Windsor to do so. Some people still don't believe that Voelker crossed the lake, but he says he hopes the photos are enough. "Even if people don't believe it I know that I did it," he said.
(Submitted by Kathryn Joel - image credit) Kathryn Joel has instructed in-person cooking classes with a focus on global dishes made with local ingredients for nearly a decade, but last year she was unsure if she'd make it another year with health restrictions related to the pandemic halting classes. In April, she started cooking meals in her commercial kitchen and delivering them door-to-door, but it was only a temporary measure. "There were just two of us working initially and we did that for maybe two weeks," said Joel, owner and chef of Get Cooking. "Then I was miserable and it was hard work for almost no money, and I had to sit myself down and think, you can't do this." With the help of her sons, she upgraded her cooking studio, adding video cameras, sound mixers and video cards to host virtual cooking classes. This year has been a busy one for Jordan — along with three other chefs, she's been hosting public and private sessions almost every day. Since launching a winter season of virtual classes in January, almost all of the 30-person classes have sold out. Offerings include the Vietnamese noodle dish bun cha, South Indian crepe-like dosas, and the French classic coq au vin. The classes range from an hour and a half to two hours. The head chef cooks from the Get Cooking kitchen studio, while another host engages with close to 30 participants on the video chat as they cook along at home, making sure everyone is caught up on each step of the recipe. Jordan charges $25 per device, while the at-home cooks supply their own groceries based on the recipe supplied. Jordan is happy with the accessibility that she can now offer through the virtual classes. "It can be a whole household joining in, which often is couples and families cooking. And it's under thirty dollars," she said. "So you either have to buy the ingredients, but they also have a meal at the end of it. So I love that. I love the accessibility of it. I have not always felt good that it's such an extremely expensive experience for people to come to." On Wednesday, a group learned how to make gnocchi Parisienne, a version of the pasta that's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, along with a lamb ragu sauce. Making the gnocchi involves a tricky process of using a transferring choux pastry through a piping bag and cutting pieces of it as they fall into boiling water. The finished product from Kathryn Joel's cooking class featuring gnocchi parisienne topped with a lamb ragu sauce. "It was one of those ones where you've had gnocchi and then you have this and you're like, 'Oh, I'm going back.' I felt like a Parisian chef. It was fantastic," said Trisha Roffey, a participant in the cooking class. Roffey has taken part in previous Get Cooking classes over the past three years, but has been logging onto the virtual sessions almost weekly "Instead of going in, doing something, tasting something, coming back and describing it to your family, my family became immersed in it," she said. "The kids started cooking with me while we were doing it and learning the techniques and commenting on the foods and looking forward to the different classes." Cooks logging on from across the province The virtual classes have allowed people from around the province — and country — to participate A couple from South Carolina recently joined a class after searching for a class that teaches Indian dishes. Eileen Dooley of Calgary took part in the Wednesday class, trying the soft gnocchi dish a shot for the first time. She's signed up for classes with her mother as a way to spend time together as they cook in their own homes. "Food, I think because we're home, it's just kind of brought people together during this pandemic and again, making things you normally don't make," she said. Dooley was supposed to be travelling in Taiwan at this time and trying out local dishes. She appreciates that the Get Cooking classes focus on International cooking as it's the closest thing to escaping an Alberta winter and tasting different flavours. Kathryn Joel, cooks lamb in a skillet in her Get Cooking studio as class of students watch through a video chat and cook along in their kitchens at home."They kind of know you're missing travelling, and you can make it at home. It's not the same, but it's something. It's better than nothing," she said. Jodena Rogers of Calgary said she usually avoids cooking. Between work as a property manager and keeping her kids busy, making something that involves trial and error was the last thing on her mind, but having time at home during the pandemic has her looking to learn something new like cooking. "I think social engagement is huge, but sometimes people are intimidated by that experience," she said. "So for me, I came home from work. I'm able to get right into it. I do my prep work and I do think that there is a trend in virtual learning and we'll continue on with that." Joel agrees with that sentiment. She prefers the virtual cooking classes compared to the in-person group sessions she previously offered. She plans to make virtual classes as part of her business permanently, as she expects the trend of cooking at home to continue.
(Beth Zaiken/Centre for Palaeogenetics via REUTERS - image credit) Yukon paleontologist Grant Zazula admits it — he's jealous. Until recently, Yukon had been the source of the oldest recovered DNA, from a 700,000-year-old horse fossil found a couple of decades ago near Dawson City. Now a team of international researchers say they have recovered and sequenced DNA from the teeth of three mammoths in Russia's extreme north, the oldest specimen being about 1.2 million years old. "So I'm actually a little bit jealous, now that the record now belongs to a Siberian fossil," Zazula said. The upside, he says, is that the new research opens the door to all sorts of possible new discoveries and insights from Yukon's own trove of Ice Age fossils. "It's really going to allow us to be able to look at earlier stages of the Ice Age and look at the, you know, genetics of these different extinct animals going back a million years, maybe even further back in time, as these technologies evolve," he said. "Twenty years ago, when I started getting involved in paleontology, we were still really excited about the novelty of being able to extract any DNA from ancient animals." 'The Yukon is amazingly situated to be able to play major roles and some of these projects,' said Grant Zazula, a paleontogist with the Yukon government. Ancient DNA can help fill in the blanks of how extinct species evolved and adapted — or failed to adapt — over the millennia. Zazula says a lot of information can be teased out of a genome sequence, from what a species looked like to how it interacted with its environment. There are also a lot of mysteries yet to be solved about mammoths in particular, he says, and how the population that crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia into North America relates later mammoth populations. "Most of what we know about the Ice Age is really only the last little bits of the Ice Age," he said. But for earlier periods of the Ice Age — say, a million years ago — Zazula says it's less understood. "Really there's a lot of speculation because we don't have a lot of well-dated records from that time period." The new research suggests that Yukon could play an even bigger role in paleontological research, because the territory is a rich source of ancient fossils. It's not uncommon for Yukon gold miners to stumble across amazing finds preserved deep in the permafrost. "The Yukon is amazingly situated to be able to play major roles in some of these projects," Zazula said. He was already contacted a few months ago by one of the Swedish scientists involved in the Russian mammoth fossil research. "He contacted me saying, 'hey, do you guys have any old mammoths from the Yukon?' And I said, 'well, we have one that's about 700,000 years old,'" Zazula recalled. "So, yeah, hopefully in a few months we can add to this story and talk about how that lineage crossed the Bering Land Bridge for the first time into North America roughly a million years ago."
(Photo: Jay Legere - image credit) It started with a Facebook post back in April 2020. "We will be making a batch of fish sauce and salad dressing for sale," it said. Three hours later ... more than 250 bottles were sold, and Yellowknife's Bullocks Bistro was in business. "This was incredible," said co-owner Joanne Martin. "It reaffirmed that this was a viable product for us," she said. Joanne Martin had no idea when she started selling her salad dressing and fish sauce it would turn into a full scale business. Martin says the salad dressing and fish sauce has always been popular; people would go to the restaurant with their own bottles to fill up. But when COVID-19 hit, people weren't able to get it and they were needing a fix. Once word got out they could get it in local stores, people were pretty much lining up for the stuff. "We've sold so much of it, we can't keep it on the shelves," said Yellowknife Co-op deli manager Megan Marks. Marks says they've sold close to 7,000 bottles … since May. Megan Marks says Bullocks Bistro salad dressing is very popular at the Yellowknife Co-op. They get orders twice a week and they are almost always sold out. "We get a shipment from them twice a week and we get people that come and they send it to family in Newfoundland and Ontario … it's so popular," Marks said. The dressing and sauce are being sold in stores in four communities across the Northwest Territories. Now the restaurant is about to make a big step up in production in hopes of getting their product out to the rest of the world. "By the end of June we realized that we are going to need something bigger … we can't do the restaurant and this as well," said Martin. Joanne Marting says her products are made with love and it will remain that way when they open the processing facility. So they purchased a spot in the Kam Lake area of Yellowknife and construction of a processing facility will begin in May. "We will probably start out with three to six staff [and] we should be able to put out around 6,000 bottles a day." Martin says her sauce and dressing is made with love and expects that selling it as a northern product will be a huge marketing tool for them. If all goes according to plan, the new salad dressing and fish sauce plant will be open in August.
BERLIN — Germany's Left has picked two women to lead the anti-capitalist party into this fall's national election. A party conference Saturday elected Janine Wissler und Susanne Hennig-Wellsow as co-leaders. Wissler is the Left's parliamentary caucus leader in Hesse state. Hennig-Wellsow is the party's chairwoman in Thuringia, the only German state where the Left leads a government. The succeed Katja Kipping and Bernd Riexinger, who have led the party since 2012. The Left, which is partly rooted in East Germany's governing Socialist Unity Party, received 9.2% of the vote in the 2017 national election. Current polls ahead of the vote on Sept. 26 put its support at 7-8%. The Associated Press
New numbers on the state of the Great Lakes shows a rise in water temperatures for winter 2021, including for Lake Huron. Environmental experts in the Georgian Bay area say the warming of Lake Huron can have significant effects on the weather, environment and wildlife. The latest data from the Great Lakes Environment Research Laboratory (GLERL) shows Lake Huron's water volume temperature sitting at 4.3 C for Feb. 5. That's compared to this time last year, when the water temperature was at 3.9 C, and the year before, at 3.2 C. David Bywater, a conservation program manager with Georgian Bay Biosphere Mnidoo Gamii, said GLERL's latest data is consistent with the pattern of ice loss coverage they've seen in data dating back to the 1970s. A report the Biosphere published in 2018 details a steady decline in ice coverage for Lake Huron from 1973 to 2016, using data from the Canadian Ice Service. It adds the average water temperature is increasing at a rate of 0.9 C every decade. It links both these phenomena to climate change. "It can affect weather: if you have open water instead of ice, that's going to affect the amount of precipitation that you're going to be seeing, both rain and snow," he said. This is because ice coverage prevents further evaporation. Rupert Kindersley, the Georgian Bay Association's executive director, said the warming waters are a concern for that reason: he noted the damage done to structures, docks and businesses near the Georgian Bay shoreline over the years as a result of flooding. "It's one of the features of climate change that we're getting these warmer winters and less ice cover," he said. There are also ecological impacts: according to Samantha Noganosh, a councillor with Magnetawan First Nation and lands manager, many community members have seen a decrease in the number of fish coming through Magnetawan River — which is connected to Lake Huron — over the years, meaning less yield during fishing season. Community members also use the river as a water source for recreational activities and ceremonies. "(Magnetawan River) is the lifeblood of the First Nation," said Alanna Smolarz, a species-at-risk biologist working for the First Nation. "It's an incredible resource." According to Noganosh, the First Nation is closely monitoring the situation with Lake Huron's warming waters. Bywater said the community partners with the Georgian Bay Biosphere to collect data and exchange information to aid in raising awareness. "That's part of the climate change challenge: making it local and making it meaningful when it's such a big issue," he said. Kindersley said the Georgian Bay Association is also working to inform members of the water level concerns, but added what they can do to tackle this problem is minimal. "There's not a lot we can do about climate change and global warming other than persuade people to adopt individual behaviour that will help to reduce CO2 emissions and other things," he said. Zahraa Hmood is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering the municipalities of Muskoka Lakes, Lake of Bays and Georgian Bay. Her reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Zahraa Hmood, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Parry Sound North Star
LONDON — A World War II-era plane flew Saturday over the funeral service of Captain Tom Moore to honour of the veteran who single-handedly raised millions of pounds for Britain's health workers by walking laps in his backyard. Soldiers performed ceremonial duties at the service for the 100-year-old Moore, whose charity walk inspired the nation and raised almost 33 million pounds ($46 million.) Captain Tom, as he became known, died Feb. 2 in the hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. The private service was small, attended by just eight members of the veteran's immediate family. But soldiers carried his coffin, draped in the Union flag, from the hearse to a crematorium and formed a ceremonial guard. Others performed a gun salute, before a C-47 Dakota military jet flew past. “Daddy, you always told us ‘Best foot forward’ and true to your word, that’s what you did last year," Moore's daughter, Lucy Teixeira, said at the service. “I know you will be watching us chuckling, saying ‘Don’t be too sad as something has to get you in the end.’" A version of the song “Smile," recorded for the funeral by singer Michael Bublé, was played, as well as “My Way” by Frank Sinatra, as requested by Moore. A bugler sounded “The Last Post” to close the service. Moore, who served in India, Burma and Sumatra during WWII, set out to raise a modest 1,000 pounds for Britain’s National Health Service by walking 100 laps of his backyard by his 100th birthday last year. But his quest went viral, catching the imagination of millions stuck at home during the first wave of the pandemic. His positive attitude - “Please remember, tomorrow will be a good day” became his trademark phrase - inspired the nation at a time of crisis. Prime Minister Boris Johnson described him as a “hero in the truest sense of the word.? He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in July in a socially distanced ceremony at Windsor Castle, west of London. The Associated Press
(Terri Trembath/CBC - image credit) A historic courthouse building in Fort Macleod is soon to get a new lease on life. The nearly 120-year-old building, which is a designated historic property, is featured in both the Oscar-winning film Brokeback Mountain and Emmy Award-winning TV series Fargo. Sue Keenan, the town's chief administrative officer, says they have had a number of offers and are close to a deal. "We've had people come through that want to use it as a personal residence, bed and breakfast, wine — like a wine store, wine cellar, wine tasting," Keenan said. Keenan said they even had one offer to use the old courthouse for a marijuana business. "I thought, how ironic is that," she said. "All the judges must roll over in their graves." The historic courthouse building in Fort Macleod has been up for sale at $225,000 and the town says it is close to a deal that will allow the building to remain in the public eye. Built in 1902, the building served as a courthouse and offices for the North-West Mounted Police. In the late 1970s, the town's administration moved in and maintained occupancy until the building went up for sale two years ago, listed at $225,000. "When you look at what you're going to get for that, it really is a good deal," Keenan said, adding that they want to keep the designated historic property a public space. "The consortium we're dealing with out of Calgary have done a lot of historical buildings in Calgary, so they're familiar with all the hoops they have to jump through, and they're committed to keeping this building public," Keenan said, adding she could not give more details just yet. "I want to make sure when we have an announcement to make to our residents and the province, that the deal is a done deal." Keenan is hoping to make a formal announcement next week. This holding cell in the basement of the Fort Macleod courthouse building is the only one that still has a door. The building has 2,000 square feet of original flooring, beams, a hot water boiler and two heavy vaults. There is historic woodwork framing all the old doors and transom windows. "This is old, old, old," Keenan said as she toured the CBC's Terri Trembath through the building, showing off the original hot water boiler from the early 1900s. The basement, with its sandstone and exposed brick walls, is equipped with holding cells for the courthouse. "It would make a great wine cellar, if you ask me," Keenan said. The old courthouse, designed by architect David Ewart from Ottawa — who also designed the Canadian Mint — has been deemed an historic landmark by both the provincial and federal government. Eventually, the cost of upkeep and the daunting cost of renovations to a heritage building proved too much for the town. As for the new deal, Keenan is optimistic. "I am very confident that they will do this building justice, and the residents of the town of Fort MacLeod will be very pleased with the direction that it's going to head."
Unidentified gunmen stormed the Government Girls Secondary School in the town of Jangebe and took the girls away, say police.View on euronews
At his wits end with the province and in fear for his most vulnerable people, David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Metis Federation, is approaching COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers in the hopes of purchasing doses directly. "I’m sending a letter out to every one of them pleading with them to consider allowing me to buy direct, that my people are going to die and likely probably going to continue to suffer mental anguish and everything else that comes with it," Chartrand said. In British Columbia, Métis and other Indigenous people are eligible to get their shots sooner and at 15 years younger than the rest of the population, meaning they can get their shot at 65 when 80-year-old residents are being called. Dr. Daniele Behn Smith, the deputy provincial health officer for Indigenous Health, said they’ve been working hard to make Métis people "feel seen" during the vaccination process. Alberta is taking a similar approach and the Métis Nation Saskatchewan is working with the provincial government to work out a vaccine rollout. Here, in Manitoba, the age differential is 20 years — when eligibility for the vaccine is at 95 for the general population, it is 75 for First Nations. That does not include Métis. When asked by The Brandon Sun for the rationale for Manitoba not engaging with Métis in similar ways, when the conditions, vulnerabilities and disproportionate effect in the Métis population are the same, if not worse, than First Nations, Dr. Joss Reimer spoke about data. "Our initial decisions were based on the epidemiology and the data that we had in front of us. The data was very clear that our First Nations, the First Nations people in Manitoba, were experiencing worse health outcomes and at younger ages," said Reimer, medical lead for the vaccine implementation task force. She said the province does not have the same access to data when it comes to the Métis population in Manitoba. When asked if the task force would consider the same age differential for Métis, Reimer said nothing is off the table. "If we have data to demonstrate that something is essential to provide the best possible care for Manitobans, we absolutely move in that direction. Right now, we don’t have that data to depend on. But that’s something that we’re trying to work on together," she said. Chartrand said that’s false. He said the federation has been making efforts to resolve the matter since the summer, to no avail. Further, he says the government is in possession of a four-year study that clearly shows the health vulnerabilities of Métis. "We started asking, why are you not signing one (data sharing agreement) with us? They just basically said, well, we’ll get back to you. And nobody had an answer. We had nowhere to turn. Everybody we turned to said, we’ll get back to you. We’ll get back to you. I can go through emails and letters and meeting minutes. They’re all gonna give you the same response, we’ll get back to you," said Chartrand. "Nobody ever gets back to you. No reason whatsoever. Not to say, it’s complicated. Not to say, can’t be done. Not to say, we don’t have any data in our own health system." Chartrand said the federation has plenty of data it can provide. "We could provide you with ours, and give you a really good surface view of where we’re stating our position and even the health state of our people. We can share that with you. We have sufficient data that any statistician would have been embracing and kissing you for it, because it would (be) such a valuable tool of information. They still wouldn’t work with us. They never provided an answer why," he said. When Pine Creek First Nation, which is between the Métis villages of Camperville and Duck Bay, saw two cases of COVID-19 in January, Chief Karen Baston put the area on lockdown. Chartrand told his people to stay put for two weeks. "We delivered hampers to every house whether they were First Nation, whether they were Métis, whether they were not Indigenous. We took hampers to every house. We told them, don’t go out and shop. Stay locked up for two weeks, and we’ll bring more supplies. Whatever you need, contact us. We delivered to 275 houses," Chartrand said. "Those are some big families. Some are $400 hampers some $150 hampers for a smaller family." Currently, the federation is delivering 40,000 pounds of fish through its partnership with Freshwater Fish. These actions are possible with financial help from the federal government. Chartrand said, while there have been COVID-19 cases and death in the Métis population, so far the federation’s pandemic action plan has been minimizing spread. There have been no outbreaks in Métis communities. The federation even recently set up its own testing site for its citizens, to collect its own data. Acquiring vaccines independently is the next step. – with files from the Canadian Press Michèle LeTourneau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brandon Sun
Tunisia's biggest political party assembled an immense crowd of supporters in the capital on Saturday in a show of strength that could fuel a dispute between the president and the prime minister. In one of the biggest demonstrations since Tunisia's 2011 revolution, tens of thousands of Ennahda supporters marched through central Tunis chanting "The people want to protect institutions!" and "The people want national unity!". The dispute has played out against a grim backdrop of economic anxiety, disillusionment with democracy and competing reform demands from foreign lenders and the UGTT, the powerful main labour union, as debt repayments loom.
(Chantal Dubuc/CBC - image credit) He's a cat with an attitude and familiar to anyone who has visited the NWT SPCA in Yellowknife the last few years. After being fostered three times and spending 1,259 days at the shelter, Harrison the cat has finally found a permanent home. You couldn't walk in the SPCA shelter without seeing "do not touch Harrison" posters or get a verbal warning from staff to keep your distance and give him space. Harrison's a cat with a rough past and was reactive, not giving much warning before he would strike. Shelter staff affectionately called him Dirty Harry for his sometimes mean streak. A softer side It took Eileen Hendry to show that Harry also has a soft side . "I was thinking I was maybe ready for another cat and I was starting to kind of watch what the SPCA had available for pets. And, you know, Harrison kept popping up in the feed and stuff and he's quite well known around town." When she finally met him at the SPCA, they sat quietly together in the cat room and she was able to pet him for about 15 minutes. She talked to the staff about what his needs were and where he was happiest and thought maybe that she could be a good fit. "I was really looking for easier pets," she said with a laugh. "I went actually to meet the other cat [Fritz] that I had originally seen. And after I met [Harrison], I just couldn't stop thinking about him." She ended up bringing both cats home because she wasn't sure if Harrison would ever really be happy with just her for company. "And they did tell me that he really likes other cats," she added. It took four days but Harrison the cat finally jumped on Eileen Hendry's lap after he was in his new home with her. 'He was definitely showing that he was interested in having me for company and getting close to me,' she said. Given up hope Dana Martin who's the NWT SPCA vice-president remembers when Harrison first arrived at the shelter. "Harrison arrived in a crate, a woman from his neighborhood found him and boxed him up into a cat carrier and brought him in. He was very frightened and underweight, very matted, very aggressive. We learned quickly that he was a biter and we needed to be careful with him." He was moody with people but he liked other cats. He would navigate around and be attracted to the cats that were under stress. "He'd sit by them or, you know, in the bottom kennels in the room. He'd go and sit by the cats that were hiding and a little bit stressed." Harrison the cat gets comfortable with his new housemate, Fritz, aka Sir Pounce a lot. The staff had all but given up hope to find Harrison the perfect home. They had accepted that he was going to be their cat at the shelter until Eileen scooped him up. Martin says that in another shelter, Harrison's story might have ended quite differently. Cats with behavioural issues are often the first to be euthanized.The SPCA in Yellowknife is a no-kill shelter and this offered time to build a positive association with people again. "I think he had been here long enough [to] learn from everybody that people are OK again. I think that that allowed him to connect with her. It really is a happy ending for Harrison. And it's a new beginning for him." 'This is forever' Hendry says that after four days of being in his new home, he finally jumped on her lap. "I sat on the couch and he came over and kind of draped himself over my lap. So he was definitely showing that he was interested in having me for company and getting close to me. He just wasn't quite sure how to do it at that time," said Hendry. She says that she's learning his subtle cues when he's moody and knows when to leave him alone. "This is forever," she said. "The day I brought him home, I signed the adoption papers. I didn't say I was just going to foster him or anything. So it is a long-term commitment, and I'm looking forward to having him around for a long time." Hendry even started an Instagram account so the shelter staff who miss him can keep up with Harry's new life with his new buddy Fritz, aka Sir Pounce a lot.
(Submitted by Chelsea Moss-Harris - image credit) The first time Chelsea Moss-Harris met A.J. Gray in person was at 1:30 a.m. on the side of a road in Nackawic. It was cold and pitch-dark and Gray, who had a dog with him in his truck, was a stranger she'd met online. But Moss-Harris wasn't worried. She already knew Gray was an "angel," and the dog he had with him was her beloved pet Zoey. Gray had brought Zoey on a 5,200-km ride from Alberta to reunite her with her owner after a months-long separation, and on that cold February night, it was hard to tell who was the most thrilled by the reunion. "I still get goose bumps when I talk about it," Moss-Harris said. "For a while, I really had thought I was never going to see her again." Moss-Harris and her fiancé, Chris Cluff, moved from New Brunswick to Alberta four years ago for Cluff's work. They returned to New Brunswick after devastating floods in Fort Vermilion. Evacuated by floods in Fort Vermilion, Alta. Seven months earlier, Moss-Harris was living in a hotel in Alberta with her two children and their two dogs, Zoey and Captain. They had been evacuated after devastating flooding swept through the northern Alberta hamlet of Fort Vermilion, forcing more than 450 people from their homes. Moss-Harris and her partner, Chris Cluff, who had moved to Alberta from New Brunswick for Cluff's job, decided it was time to come back home. But they were dismayed to find out that because she falls into the "strong breed" category, Zoey would need a special regulation kennel for the flight and would have to be picked up in Halifax. (Captain, a mixed-breed stray, was able to fly in a regular kennel.) The cost of flying her, including a new kennel, ticket, fees and surcharges, would be in the thousands, Moss-Harris said, and there were concerns that they might not even be allowed into Nova Scotia to pick her up because of COVID-19 travel restrictions at that time. Out of options and with no home left in Alberta, the family got on the plane without their beloved Zoey, who stayed behind with Cluff's brother. 'I almost started to give up' "Oh my goodness, it was so hard to leave her behind," Moss-Harris said. "It broke my heart." Eventually, when she and her family were home and settled in Fredericton, Moss-Harris started checking out the Pet Transport Canada Facebook group, which connects people travelling with pets who need a ride. Days went by with no nibbles. The days stretched into weeks, and Moss-Harris's hopes started to fade. "We'd been apart for so long," she said. "I almost started to give up." And then suddenly, a stranger named A.J. Gray replied: "Inbox me." He was a trucker and an essential worker and had a run out toward the East Coast coming up, he said. He told her he'd be happy to bring Zoey home. When I saw her snuggled up on his lap, I knew he must be OK because Zoey was OK with him. - Chelsea Moss-Harris Moss-Harris's heart leapt at the news, but she had some reservations, too. "I didn't know this guy from Adam," she said. "I thought, what if he takes off with my dog?" But they started exchanging text messages, discussing the details of what he would need for the trip. Gray refused to take any money as compensation, asking only that Moss-Harris cover the cost of Zoey's food, and finally, they arranged for him to collect Zoey and begin the journey. Moss-Harris said she was on pins and needles the whole time. "Then he sent me a picture of him and Zoey, and that's when I knew it was going to be OK. When I saw her snuggled up on his lap — she doesn't do that with just anyone — I knew he must be OK because Zoey was okay with him." That was the first of many small but telling gestures that set Moss-Harris's heart at ease, and assured her that she had entrusted her precious pet to "a good person." Chelsea Moss-Harris with 'baby' Zoey, six years ago. 'Look how adorable she was. That face!' Regular photo updates along the way Gray set out in mid-February, sending Moss-Harris frequent photos and text message updates along the way. "I'd get messages saying, 'We're in Winnipeg,' or 'Zoey's cuddled up in the bunk in the back,' and I'd laugh, thinking of Zoey taking a cross-country road trip in a big ol' truck." One full week later, she got a text asking her if she'd still be up at 1:30 a.m. that night. "I told him, 'If that's when you're gonna be coming through, I will,' " Moss-Harris said. They arranged to meet at a roadside just off the highway in Nackawic. Gray was holding Zoey on a leash at the side of the road, and when Zoey saw Moss-Harris and the rest of her family, the leash might as well have been a piece of fluff. "He had to let her go because she went nuts when she saw us," Moss-Harris recalled with a laugh. It was a quick and distanced hand-off because of COVID-19, but Moss-Harris had time to slip Gray a thank-you card ("I tucked $200 in it but I didn't tell him that, because he wouldn't have taken it," she said) and then Gray hopped into his truck and was gone. Moss-Harris thought that would be the end of it, but Gray messaged the next day to check in on his travelling companion. "He was like, 'So how's Zoey doing today, is she happy?' And I thought, wow, this is a good person." Just paying it forward, Gray says A.J. Gray seems surprised his "little" gesture has generated interest. "Well, I love dogs," he said in a phone interview. "So I saw the message on Facebook and just figured I'd help out." Gray said he was in a similar situation a few years ago, when he faced an abrupt move and had to leave his dog behind. "I know how that feels," he said. Gray said he's never transported a dog before, but Zoey was a "good traveller." "She was no trouble at all, she slept the mostly the whole way, she'd get up now and then and look out the window, and she'd get a bit excited every time we came into a city." Gray, who lives in Bathurst, said he's on the road and away from home too often to have a dog right now. But he does plan to keep in touch with his "pet for a week," Zoey. "Oh yeah, I'll check in on her now and again," he said. "She was a nice dog." Meanwhile, with Zoey settled in at her new home and life finally getting back to normal, Moss-Harris said she plans to keep in touch with the man who made that possible, sending him occasional photos of Zoey because she knows "he really cares." "When you think that someone who doesn't even know showed us true kindness and never asked for a thing? Wow," she said. "We need more people like A.J. in this world. He's an angel."
A Russian trial testing the effectiveness of revaccination with the Sputnik V shot to protect against new mutations of the coronavirus is producing strong results, researchers said on Saturday. Last month President Vladimir Putin ordered a review by March 15 of Russian-produced vaccines for their effectiveness against new variants spreading in different parts of the world.
